Drought conditions are again plaguing the northern half of Missouri, according to the latest U.S. drought monitor report.

A large portion of north central Missouri is experiencing severe drought (D2), with most of the rest of northern Missouri in moderate drought (D1). Also, there's a strip of land stretching from St. Louis to Kansas City to northwest of St. Joseph that's classified as abnormally dry (D0), just one step below drought. Anthony Artusa is with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center at the University of Maryland.

"In fact, northern Missouri has been like most of the surrounding states in that area," Artusa said. "It has been experiencing, only very recently over the past couple of weeks, a rapid deterioration in the drought conditions and crop conditions there."

Artusa says one upside to the current drought is that the dry ground will make it easier for farmers to harvest their crops. Meanwhile, he adds that there could be some relief over the next three months.

"There is a slight tilt in the odds towards wetter than normal conditions across northern Missouri, and indeed across a large part of the Midwest and the lower Mississippi valley.”

The southern half of Missouri is not in a drought, in part due to recent heavy flash flooding.